[ti:US to Release Emergency Oil Supplies to Ease Prices]
[by:www.21voa.com]
[00:00.00]更多听力请访问21VOA.COM
[00:00.04]The administration of American President Joe Biden
[00:05.32]said it would release 50 million barrels of oil
[00:09.96]from the United States emergency oil supply.
[00:15.12]It said the move was done in partnership with China, India,
[00:20.56]South Korea, Japan and Britain to bring down oil prices.
[00:28.08]The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is an emergency supply of oil
[00:34.04]in case of natural disasters, national security incidents and other events.
[00:41.68]It is maintained by the Energy Department.
[00:46.68]It is estimated that there are about 605 million barrels of oil in the reserve.
[00:55.32]The release is meant to lower fuel costs and serve as a warning
[01:01.12]to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
[01:07.16]OPEC is a group of 15 mostly Persian Gulf countries.
[01:13.88]The U.S. and other major oil users believe high prices
[01:19.24]could slow the global economy’s recovery from the pandemic.
[01:25.48]The move is also aimed at U.S. voters
[01:29.08]who are dealing with high inflation and rising gas prices
[01:34.08]ahead of winter holiday travel.
[01:38.32]Gasoline prices are, on average, more than 50 percent higher
[01:43.80]than a year ago, the American Automobile Association said.
[01:49.88]The U.S. announcement of 50 million barrels
[01:53.56]is equal to about two and a half days of U.S. demand.
[01:59.24]India said it would release 5 million barrels from its supply
[02:04.28]and Britain 1.5 million barrels.
[02:09.52]Officials said it was the first time that the United States
[02:14.04]had made such a move with some of the world's largest oil users.
[02:19.92]The release of the reserves would be a mix of an exchange and a sale
[02:25.32]to companies that Congress approved, American officials said.
[02:31.80]The actions by the U.S. and other nations risk angering some countries,
[02:38.40]especially Saudi Arabia and Russia.
[02:42.52]Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have made clear
[02:47.08]that they want to control the oil supply to keep prices high for now.
[02:53.80]There have been warnings that those countries
[02:56.76]may back away from promises to increase supplies in coming months.
[03:03.00]The Biden administration decision comes after weeks of diplomatic talks.
[03:09.56]Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping talked about ways
[03:14.88]to deal with oil supplies in their online meeting earlier this month.
[03:20.72]The two “discussed the importance of taking measures
[03:25.68]to address global energy supplies,” the administration said.
[03:31.56]The pandemic severely affected energy markets.
[03:35.76]As business closures began in April, 2020, demand fell.
[03:42.52]Energy traders did not want to buy large amounts of oil that they could not store.
[03:49.56]But as the economy recovered,
[03:52.56]prices jumped to a seven-year high in October.
[03:58.24]Experts say releasing reserves may not be enough
[04:02.60]to prevent continuing price increases.
[04:06.80]"It’s not large enough to bring down prices in a meaningful way
[04:12.28]and may even backfire” if OPEC countries slow their supply of oil,
[04:18.88]Caroline Bain told Reuters.
[04:22.56]She is an economist at Capital Economics, a research business.
[04:29.04]Biden and administration officials said
[04:32.20]that releasing more oil from the reserve
[04:35.32]is not in conflict with the president’s long-term climate goals.
[04:41.32]They said the release is a short-term answer to a current problem.
[04:46.88]Climate policies are a long-term answer over many years, they said.
[04:54.60]I’m Caty Weaver. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM